The Next Direction for Digital Hoops Blast...

It's time to shift gears.

We are going to introduce a new flow to the blog, starting next week. Here's how it will go down: There are 32 NCAA Division-1 Basketball Conferences. We can learn a lot from each of them. It's my mission to prove just that.

Each week will be organized like this:

Monday - A look into what the conference does, from a website perspective.

Tuesday - A look at how the conference leverages social media

Wednesday through Friday - We will look into the schools that make up each conference and celebrate 3 best practices, 1 per day.

Our Goal:

Through all of this, the mission is to elevate strengths and then talk through how we can take a strength and make it even better. Much like Marcus Buckingham's Book (here), my philosophy is to help discover what you are great at and then make it even better. That's what makes things magical.

What makes something a best practice? This isn't about the most intricate experience. It's about looking at the world from your consumer's point of view and delivering something that hits it right smack on the head. In the case of colleges, I'm treating the primary consumer as that prospective student athlete.

And a Bonus:

I will step in and elevate college site (across the D-1 or D-2 landscape) that is worth diving into in greater detail. There are some amazing things out here that really is worth a stop the presses moment. And that's exactly what will happen. Like amazing plays in sports, they'll be a little unpredictable. But trust me there's some amazing goodness out there!

Tune in Monday as this gets going!

Andy

The 10 Best Digital Marketing Features in the NCAA Tournament South Region

We've finished our recap of the NCAA Tournament's South Region. If you're late arriving, we looked at top seeded Duke, #2Villanova, #3 Baylor, #4 Purdue, #5 Texas A&M, #6 Notre Dame, #7Richmond, #8 California, #9 Lousiville, #10 Saint Mary's, #11 Old Dominion, #12 Utah State, #13 Siena, #14 Sam Houston State, #15 Robert Morris, and #16 Arkansas Pine Bluff.

Today, I'll wrap with the 10 most inspiring features in the region, regardless of team. If you dig this, you can check out my view of the East Region, here.

Let's go.

10. Notre Dame gives us Coach Kelly miked up.

What? A football item so good it makes the top 10 features? Well, in a word, yes. Notre Dame took football coach Brian Kelly and miked him up for their Spring Practices and then aired it online. Just click in here or look below and you'll get a glimpse into the approach. You definitely feel closer to the program by hearing something normally reserved for players and assistant coaches. It's pretty powerful stuff, and this is something we can all learn from and apply to hoops. There's not much more than hearing how a coach interacts in practice to let you feel a program. Nice!

9. Duke Gives us Coach K's Favorite Quotes

You don't have to go to big extremes to make a big impact. Every coach has quotes that define their philosophy of basketball, player development, relationships, and life. And through Coach K's site, those are all elevated in one spot, linked here. You can't read these without getting a better feel for who Coach is as a teacher and a leader.

8. Baylor's Strength and Conditioning video experience

Strength and Conditioning is a key to athletes hitting their potential. And Baylor elevates this in a big way. Not only do they go into the philosophy in words and pictures, but you get a chance to watch their head strength and conditioning guy (who as you'll see below is pretty piped himself!) in video. It's impactful stuff - check out the full athletics experience here.

7. Sam Houston State and Utah State deliver great connection via insider blogs.

Insider Blogs are by definition from the inside. Sam Houston State gives us the Bearkat Blog, authored by the coaching staff, while Utah State's USU Hoops Blog comes from a player. Great starting points, huh? The content is fantastic.

Linked here, you'll find the Bearkats blog. It's authentic and personal and just reading an entry connects you...

"There have been a lot of things going on in the world of Bearkat basketball... They have created a Facebook and Twitter page for the program, and we have also installed new recruiting software that I have wanted to do for some time now.... As far as the program is concerned, we have every returner enrolled in the first session of summer school."

Meanwhile, the Utah State blog is here. They leverage photography well - and it's exclusive photos you can't find elsewhere. They leverage a player (Tyler Newbold) to write a good chunk of this. And they give us quick access to all things USU hoops (see the left hand navigation).

These are things we all could do -- and they are executed to an incredible level!

6. Richmond and Arkansas Pine Bluff Elevate Recruits via imagery and video

Richmond pumps new signees through YouTube, linked here. As you'll see below, they have compiled a highlight reel of incoming recruits.

This highlight reel is also accessible via a link that is pasted in the men's basketball section.

Arkansas Pine Bluff gives us their new recruits in visuals and words, linked here and shown below. I love this, as it mimics what we see when a player is drafted into the Pros and announced at his new team. It elevates the act of choosing to be a Golden Lion, and thus makes it a more aspirational move for a prospect!

5. Louisville & Siena show us success in pictures and video

Linked here, you will see that Louisville offers a simple photo recap of their NCAA tourney loss to Cal in photos, both color and black & white. The result is equally touching and powerful.

It's powerful because of the intimacy. No one else gets this level of access. It's powerful because of the simplicity. These are big, powerful images, without words. You draw your own conclusions. And it's powerful because of the storytelling. These images, in succession, tell you the story of what happened. So emotional, and that's what connects us to you.

Meanwhile, Siena reinterprets One Shining Moment. What college hoops fan doesn't fall in love each year with One Shining Moment? (The Luther Vandross version - don't get me started.) Well click in here.... The Saints created a version of One Shining Moment for last year's squad, to the right version of the song! It's hot, and it showcases so many aspects of what goes into the team.

4. It's more than just Basketball.

Villanova gives us Life after Basketball. The

Nova Nation basketball site allows you to navigate the tradition of the program. And, as you see in the image below (or here), the top thing listed under tradition is not the tournament appearances (or last year's Final Four bid)... It is life after basketball.

Wow. Now, when you drill in, you are taken to a page where we hear from Coach Jay Wright. He puts it directly:

"This is Villanova Basketball -- excelling as a player, student, and a man."

That's powerful.

And click on in and you get the image below - a 4 page PDF that shows you all the Nova hoops alumni, their degree, and where they are working, sorted by industry. I love this because it shows the program cares about more than what you do on the hardwood. And I love it because it helps show you that your education and degree at Villanova can literally take you anywhere. It's so simple, but wow this is fantastic.

Similarly, Utah State gives us "Stories about Former Athletes."

As you'll see in the menu below, the Aggies bring us a look into their alums.

Click in (right here) and you can filter alums by decade or sport...

And arrive at a look into each player's time at Utah State, followed by what they're up to now. You can even email them (see the image below). I love this. There is something magical about letting future student athletes see what became of those who wore the jersey years ago. It's not all about the Pros. It's about what the time on campus prepared them for.

3.

Recruits: Have What it Takes to be a Monarch?

I love taking the guesswork out of things. Hit the basketball home page and you are presented with this box, shown below.

How can you not love the branding, linked here. "Have What It Takes to be a Monarch?" That's suggestive copy that immediately presents the Monarchs as as aspirational. It's not about who they can get. It's about who is good enough and tough enough to be chosen.

2. Purdue's Coach Painter tells us "Why I became a coach".

This is a fantastic statement. And Purdue puts this into their video guide. Why did Coach Painter become a coach, and what does he like the most about his job? Very insightful things, and the video (illustrated below) is heartfelt and gives you a good feel at what he believes in. This is another case of an easy thing that anyone can do. Tell us why you want to work with student athletes. Why do you love what you do? And answering that question helps prospects answer the question of why they want to play for you.

1. Duke Blue Planet Live (link here)

If you click into Duke Blue Planet Live, you come to the image below. Duke has done a lot amazing here. First, they are aggregating all "Insiders" here. And insiders are coaches, current players, former players, and Duke official sites.

Now, if you look closer (I zoomed in below), you see that Duke has made it very easy to retweet or reply to any of the comments. So now you the Insider get more love for your comments because Duke has made it easy. Fantastic.

Click on "Our Fans" and you are able to see all the chatter from people on Twitter who have identified themselves as a Blue Devil fan. Again, the easy retweet and reply buttons are here. You'll also notice in the upper right the ability to grab the Duke Twitter widget. So you can take this content and put it into your blog -- meaning Duke fans can now take all of this with them, to their site. Crazy.

Finally, the image below shows how easy they make it to share links on the squad. (nothing below, but I'm sure that changes in the heart of the season). I also like the call to action on the right -- Are you a Tweeting Duke fan? Sign up to appear on our Fans page.

So, in sum, Duke gives us access to everything official and authentic around the program and then enables us to share it with a simple click of the mouse.

That's it --

I hope you've enjoyed this recap.

Follow along in the journey of what's hot in college hoops, right here - I'm @pawlow34. I'll be back on Monday as we shift into our new mode: A tour of D-1 Hoops, Conference by Conference.

NCAA Basketball Marketing: What We Could Learn from #16 Arkansas Pine Bluff

We're in search of inspiration- things that all of us can take and apply into our worlds. Then we will apply a "Plus One" method to make each inspiring thing even better. Thus far, we've looked at top seeded Duke, #2Villanova, #3 Baylor, #4 Purdue, #5 Texas A&M, #6 Notre Dame, #7Richmond, #8 California, #9 Lousiville, #10 Saint Mary's, #11 Old Dominion, #12 Utah State, #13 Siena, #14 Sam Houston State, and #15 Robert Morris.

On to the final stop in the South. Let's go!

South Region #16 Seed Arkansas Pine Bluff: What's Inspiring about Arkansas Pine Bluff Marketing? (link here)

1. The Calendar

You can see this from the athletics department home page, above, and I'll zoom in below. Sometimes the best things in marketing are the simplest. A calendar? Yes, take a peak at the image and realize that, at a glance, you can quickly see what is coming up. And if you think of one of the biggest things a college website can do is to drive fans to games. This enables it!

Plus One: Take this to your calendar. Like we saw with the Dallas Mavericks, here, there is an opportunity for fans to download the Pine Bluff schedule to their calendar. That way you don't have to go to the site to find out when games are happening -- just look at your own calendar!

2. Pictures of Recruits

Another simple and powerful thing. Pine Bluff gives us their new recruits in visuals and words right from the website. I love this, as it mimics what we see when a player is drafted into the Pros and announced at his new team. It elevates the act of choosing to be a Golden Lion, and thus makes it a more aspirational move for a prospect. Well done!

Plus One: Could we get to the point where recruits are actually announced as new members of the squad on the site? Offer a question/answer session with fans or students here!

3. Golden Girls

Linked here, the Golden Eagles offer a look into their dance squad right from the comforts of the site. As we saw in the NBA, the dance squad played a big deal in marketing every team. And, as a recruit, elevating the dance squad reminds them that they are the center of the universe on campus. Not many college programs are doing this -- and it's a smart step!

Plus One: Connect the Golden Girls to the hoops team. This can be done by showcasing video or photo galleries of the dance squad during games. It may not sound complicated, but this can create a big impact in the mind of a recruit -- let's remind them of the destination that a Golden Lion game is for the community!

What's next?

We'll be back Wednesday with a look at the 10 Best Digital Features across this South Region. Trust me you'll want to check it out!

As always, you can follow along on Twitter - I'm @pawlow34.

NCAA Basketball Marketing: What We Could Learn from #15 Robert Morris

We're in search of inspiration- things that all of us can take and apply into our worlds. Then we will apply a "Plus One" method to make each inspiring thing even better. Thus far, we've looked at top seeded Duke, #2Villanova, #3 Baylor, #4 Purdue, #5 Texas A&M, #6 Notre Dame, #7Richmond, #8 California, #9 Lousiville, #10 Saint Mary's, #11 Old Dominion, #12 Utah State, #13 Siena, and #14 Sam Houston State.

Now's when it starts to get really interesting... Here we go.

South Region #15 Seed Robert Morris: What's Inspiring about Robert Morris Marketing? (link here)



1. A partnership with a local sports writer

Sam Houston State reached out to sports writer Paul Meyer to produce a weekly update on the squad, which was archived on the site as a news feature (shown below). This is a pretty solid idea, as they take an objective, expert perspective and deliver it to fans through the season. In an age where we look everywhere we can for original information, this is a fantastic starting point. Check it out here.

Plus One: Take this idea and deliver it in the form of a blog. Doing so gives fans the chance to interact, subscribe, and more easily navigate the program. And, of course, that style opens up more of the program for a prospective recruit to check out.

2. The Athletics Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame. I love these, by their very nature, as they are a subtle reminder to the recruit that the program delivers success, enabling people to excel and be recognized for it. As you can see below (or here), Robert Morris recognizes the best athletes with their years and sport below. And this is done by year, so we get a feel that success is constant.

Plus One: We have a list of success, but not the stories behind it. And that's the opportunity. Don't just tell us who made the Hall, tell us why, what impact they had on the school and the community. Connect future recruits to these success stories, and the impact could be monstrous.

3. Visitor's Guide...

As you'll see in the images below (and here), Robert Morris elevates a guide of where to eat and stay when you visit the campus. Sweet idea. I love this not just because it provides a value to the consumer, but because it creates a feeling that a Robert Morris game is a destination to plan for!

Plus One: Like the Hall of Fame, don't just give us a list. We can get that from the Yellow Pages. Give us what we can't get - the stories behind why it's a favorite destination for a Robert Morris fan. Talk to alums and current players. What's the best pre-game meal? Where do they go eat with their family? This is another opportunity to connect us to the program in a surprisingly deep way!

What's next?

We'll be back Monday with a breakdown of #16 seed Arkansas Pine-Bluff. Then we'll start wrapping this up.

As always, you can follow along on Twitter - I'm @pawlow34.

NCAA Basketball Marketing: What We Could Learn from #14 Sam Houston State

We're in search of inspiration- things that all of us can take and apply into our worlds. Then we will apply a "Plus One" method to make each inspiring thing even better. Thus far, we've looked at top seeded Duke, #2Villanova, #3 Baylor, #4 Purdue, #5 Texas A&M, #6 Notre Dame, #7Richmond, #8 California, #9 Lousiville, #10 Saint Mary's, #11 Old Dominion, #12 Utah State, and #13 Siena.

Let's go.

South Region #14 Seed Sam Houston State: What's Inspiring about Sam Houston State Athletics Marketing?

1. Bearkat Bytes

This is really fantastic. Linked here, you'll find the Bearkats blog, maintained by the coaching staff, from what I can tell. It's authentic and personal and just reading an entry makes me feel a lot more connected here. Here's an excerpt, from this week.

"There have been a lot of things going on in the world of Bearkat basketball... They have created a Facebook and Twitter page for the program, and we have also installed new recruiting software that I have wanted to do for some time now.... As far as the program is concerned, we have every returner enrolled in the first session of summer school."

You get the idea. It's nothing that every program couldn't do, but they are killing it. Fantastic.

Plus One: Just be consistent. That's all I can offer. The posts are fantastic but could be more addicting if we had a sense for what was coming, and when.

2. What Can We Do Better?

Love this. As you can see here (and below), Sam Houston State asks what they can do to improve the online experience. I am a believer that the best ideas come from your biggest fans and the act of making yourself vulnerable and asking for ideas is really a powerful one.

Plus One: Elevate this. Then hype it. The only downside on this is that it is kind of tucked into the bottom of the site. Draw some attention to it, then recognize those fans who have ideas. And extend that call for ideas to physical spaces (the arena!)

3. The Facility, in Pictures

Sam Houston State gives us a good look into the Bernard G Johnson Coliseum, here, and below. At first glance, it may come across as simply a collection of pictures. But look deeper. That's why you're here, right?

What is here is not just a collection of pictures, but a collection of stories. The scoreboard is signaled out, saying "A state-of-the-art scoreboard became a special feature at games at Johnson Coliseum starting in 2006-07." It's stories combined with pictures that are powerful and I'd love to see a lot more of this here.

Plus One: Give us a story of all the special features in the coliseum. The locker rooms, media rooms, weight room, and training rooms. And involve the athletes in that storytelling. I love this idea, and think the potential is very impactful.

What's next?

We'll be back Friday with a breakdown of #15 seed Robert Morris. It's getting close!

As always, you can follow along on Twitter - I'm @pawlow34.

A 2 Week Lull...

I got good news this week. My wife and I had the pleasure of welcoming our first child into the world -- Maxim Anders Pawlowski. He's long (22"), and big (just shy of 9 pounds), and a wingspan that is destined to cause havoc on the courts in about 15 years.

I'm going to take 2 weeks and just be. I'll be back to continue this journey on July 21, on much less sleep but with a good perspective!

Talk soon...

Andy

NCAA Basketball Marketing: What We Could Learn from #13 Siena

We're in search of inspiration- things that all of us can take and apply into our worlds. Then we will apply a "Plus One" method to make each inspiring thing even better. Thus far, we've looked at top seeded Duke, #2Villanova, #3 Baylor, #4 Purdue, #5 Texas A&M, #6 Notre Dame, #7Richmond, #8 California, #9 Lousiville, #10 Saint Mary's, #11 Old Dominion, and #12 Utah State.

Let's go.

South Region #13 Seed Siena: What's Inspiring about Siena Athletics Marketing? (Link Here)

1. A very welcoming callout to social media

Sometimes, it's the little things. As you can see in the image below, Siena gives you one click access to all things social media, but they take a second to try and make it just a little more welcoming. You have to pay attention, or you'll miss it... All of the social media ways to connect with the program are housed together, in one nice image, for anyone to get at. And the copy is extremely concise but action oriented. Nice.

Plus One: Take this header and pull in the latest from each of the platforms right here. So that way I keep the simplicity and branding but also get a taste of what I'd see if I clicked ahead. As a bonus, doing this would make the site more dynamic too!

2. A call for Fan Photos inside Facebook

As you can see here, the Saints do a nice job on Facebook - leading them to a fan base of just over 5,200 strong.

It's the offseason. The time fans travel. What's an athletics department staff to do to build connection with their fan base when very little is going on? Look no further than below. The Saints are asking fans to post a picture of themselves in as exotic a location as they can, wearing fan gear.

Then, these photos will show up onto the Saints' Photos Tab -- creating a way for the page to update and get better without much work at all on the athletics team's shoulders. AND if that's not enough, this contest gets the eyeballs of the submitter's friend feed plus the eyeballs of the Siena Saints in whatever location that photo got taken. Solid stuff!

Plus One:

Elevate these photos to the front of Siena Saints.com -- thus getting more life from the idea, and hopefully more eyeballs into the contest.

3. One Shining Moment!

OK. What college hoops fan doesn't fall in love each year with One Shining Moment? (The Luther Vandross version - don't get me started.) Well click in here.... The Saints created a version of One Shining Moment for last year's squad, to the right version of the song! It's hot, and it showcases so many aspects of what goes into the team.

Plus One: How do you improve upon such a great thing? Well, I think this can be done by a couple of things. First, give us a little more access. The idea of One Shining Moment is a track of the NCAA tournament. But the Saints have more access. When I think of the line "just how hard you worked...", I want to see pre-season conditioning. The weight room. Sweat and effort. I know all of this exists, and the Saints have me going. What could this song look like if it was something the squad was preparing for at the start of the year? Plan for success, right?

What's next?

We'll be back Friday with a breakdown of #14 seed Sam Houston State.

As always, you can follow along on Twitter - I'm @pawlow34.

NCAA Basketball Marketing: What We Could Learn from #12 Utah State

We're in search of inspiration- things that all of us can take and apply into our worlds. Then we will apply a "Plus One" method to make each inspiring thing even better. Thus far, we've looked at top seeded Duke, #2Villanova, #3 Baylor, #4 Purdue, #5 Texas A&M, #6 Notre Dame, #7Richmond, #8 California, #9 Lousiville, #10 Saint Mary's, and #11 Old Dominion.

Let's go.

South Region #12 Seed Utah State: What's Inspiring about Utah State Athletics Marketing? (Link Here)

1. Stories about Former Athletes

I'm a huge fan of calling things what they are. And, as you'll see in the menu below, the Aggies bring us a look into their alums via "Stories about Former Athletes." Fantastic callout, albeit a little bit weird to place that underneath the header "Scholarship Fund".

Click in and you can filter alums by decade or sport...

And arrive at a look into each player's time at Utah State, followed by what they're up to now. You can even email them (see the image below). I love this. There is something magical about letting future student athletes see what became of those who wore the jersey years ago. It's not all about the Pros. It's about what the time on campus prepared them for.

Plus One: This is a great starting point. But I would challenge in two areas (even though it's just a "Plus One." First, add a filter by job field or industry. (If I want to go into Marketing, tell me the stories of alums who are in this area.) And two, consider an outreach to all alums at regular intervals post graduation. (Try to get their stories immediately on graduation, at 5 years, 10, 15, 20, etc.) You won't get everyone, but this depth will only add to the allure of playing here.

2. A fantastic Basketball Blog

Yes. I love blogs. They have an emotional effect on fans - somehow making you feel much more connected to the team. Utah State's is fantastic. (Check it for yourself, here). I like the blog for many reasons. 1) they leverage photography well - and it's exclusive photos you can't find elsewhere. 2) they leverage a player (Tyler Newbold) to write a good chunk of this. 3) they give us quick access to all things USU hoops (see the left hand navigation).

Plus One: The blog could benefit from taking some of the weight off of one player's shoulders. Leverage one of the radio announcers to moderate the discussion, bringing in insights from the full team throughout the season. This is a great platform that can be built upon, let's make it happen!

3. Watch the Games from a Suite

Interesting. That's the thought that hit me when this concept came to me on the Aggies site. Not much makes your program feel as prestigious as the fact that you can invest a BIG amount of money to experience the game in style. And, as you can see below (or here), fans can rent out a hospitality suite for $1800/game. This must mean the games are fun, right?

Plus One: For that kind of money, we need a deep look into the experience. Give me a personal tour of what you get. Let me see and hear the sounds of the crowd. What's my view like? The USU athletics site gives us a couple of images (see below), but we have an opportunity to go much deeper into the experience!

What's next?

We'll be back to continue our collegiate journey Wednesday with a breakdown of #13 seed Siena.

As always, you can follow along on Twitter - I'm @pawlow34.